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A contractor at Suncor Energy lost parts of two fingers in what the company calls a "serious" accident Saturday.

The employee of Furmanite Canada Corp. was hurt when a wrench jammed while removing a stud from a piece of refinery equipment.

"The back-up wrench spun around, striking the worker's hand," said Matt Blajer, a spokesperson with the Ontario Ministry of Labour.

The tips of the man's middle and index fingers were cut off.

He was immediately transported to Bluewater Health, said Suncor spokesperson Victoria Barrington.

The ministry was notified at 11:40 a.m. Monday morning, Blajer said.

"Usually, we're supposed to be informed right away," he said, adding it's not uncommon for notification to come a few days after an incident, although the practice isn't encouraged.

Barrington said the reporting followed government guidelines, which say "serious injuries" must be reported within four days. A "critical injury" must be reported immediately, she said.

"That's set out by the Ministry of Labour and they're incredibly specific about what constitutes critical and serious injuries," she said.

Barrington said the injured contractor voluntarily returned to the refinery Monday to participate in an investigation into the incident.

"Suncor takes its safety record incredibly seriously," she said. "But it's also very transparent about it. We want to work with the employee so we ensure we understand what's happened and make sure it doesn't happen again."

Barrington said the man's attendance Wednesday won't save the refinery's safe days of work tally, something all Chemical Valley firms strive to protect.

"There will absolutely be a record of an accident, absolutely. It was a serious accident and it was incredibly unfortunate and it was a significant injury."